Graham doubled down on his recommendation that Trump renominate Kavanaugh if the Senate fails to confirm him, which the SC senator said would turn November's midterms into a referendum on the vacant Supreme Court seat.

At a White House briefing, Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders defended his remarks in MS and said he was not concerned the comments may have jeopardized the votes of key senators.

Kavanaugh's nomination hangs in the balance a week after Christine Blasey Ford testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh when they were both in high school.

On Tuesday, Mr Flake said he was "very troubled" by the tenor of Judge Kavanaugh's "partisan" testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

The poll was based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,462 adults, conducted from September 24 to September 30 -after Kavanaugh and Ford testified before the Senate about the sexual assault allegations - and featured a 3 percent margin of error at 95 percent confidence level.

Its nine justices are appointed for life and have the final say on some of the most contentious issues in USA public life, from abortion, to gun control, to voting laws. A showdown rollcall over confirmation seemed likely over the weekend. The goal: to shed light on Ford's accusation that Kavanaugh pinned her down and groped her in 1982. 'How many years ago was it?' I don't know.

The lack of interviews raises "serious concerns that this is not a credible investigation and begs the question: what other restrictions has the White House placed on the FBI?" Christine Blasey Ford, the woman whose claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her sparked the probe, had not been contacted as of Wednesday, her attorneys said.

Officials said Trump is seeking to boost Hyde-Smith as close as possible to the 50 percent threshold and lend momentum for a possible runoff. Before casting the decisive vote in favour of Kavanaugh, Flake asked the panel to request the Trump administration to pursue an Federal Bureau of Investigation probe of the explosive allegations against Kavanaugh.

The court's nine justices are appointed for life and have the final say on some of the most contentious issues in USA public life, from abortion to gun control and voting laws.

McConnell said in a letter Wednesday to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that he believes Democrats would only use such a briefing to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation.

The Arizona senator is a closely watched swing vote as Republicans can potentially only afford one defection if they are to confirm their nominee. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) also have yet to announce how they will vote. "I had one beer", said the President of the United States, imitating the testimony of, again, a woman who detailed having been sexually assaulted by his Supreme Court pick.

As he flew aboard Air Force One to the MS rally, Trump was also enraged by stories in The New York Times about Kavanaugh's high school and college years and alleging tax avoidance efforts by the president and his family, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Flake says Trump's mocking of Ford 'appalling'Oct 03, 2018 - 19:41
What were key takeaways from Senate hearing on Kavanaugh accusations? "I don't know how she knew she had one beer", he said. Cindy Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) at a Make America Great Again rally in Southaven, Miss., on October 2, 2018.

Brewers rip NL Central away from Cubs in Game 163Oct 03, 2018 - 12:20
Hunter Pence went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in what was likely his final game with the Giants after 6 1/2 years. Colorado flies to Los Angeles as one of the hottest teams in baseball, winners of nine of their last ten.

Jeff Flake Admits FBI Investigation Will Probably Do NothingOct 01, 2018 - 23:34
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the investigation will be "limited in scope" and "will not be a fishing expedition". Ford, a California college professor, was not questioned as part of a criminal proceeding, but in the confirmation process.

Facebook Sued in California Over Hack of 50 Million AccountsOct 01, 2018 - 23:29
The strict new regulation went into affect in May, and aims to safeguard user data for individuals within the European Union. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said engineers discovered the breach on Tuesday, and patched it on Thursday night.

Graham Thinks Kavanaugh Will Be ConfirmedOct 01, 2018 - 22:14
Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, without, Dr. If Blasey had showed a fraction of seething anger and self-righteous indignation that Kavanaugh did - and Sen.

Tweet storm: Musk quits as chairman over false claimsOct 01, 2018 - 19:40
In addition to appointing an independent chairman, Musk will be ineligible to be re-elected as chairman for three years. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Musk could not immediately be reached for comment.